Climate change is very real in Kirbati. It’s about survival. It’s about saving our islands. It’s about saving our homes, Kiribati native Maria Tiimon-Chi Fang told politicians and church leaders this week.

Environmental NGO’s, politicians and stakeholders gathered at Parliament House on Monday 17 August 2015 to discuss Pope Francis’s environment encyclical, Laudato Si’, focusing on the need for action on climate change.

Maria spoke of the firsthand experiences of those dealing with the reality of climate change. Living in Kiribati, Maria works with the Edmund Rice Centre’s Pacific Calling Partnership. Continue reading →

Helping young Catholics to find and give the love that they were created for, that is the goal for Jason Evert, founder of Chastity Project, when he visits Australia later this year.

Jason will deliver a keynote address at the upcoming Australian Catholic Youth Festival, which takes place in Adelaide from 3-5 December 2015.

‘Pope John Paul II once said that chastity can only be thought of in association with the virtue of love. My hope is that through the presentations I offer, the youth will see how chastity frees them to love and frees them to know if they are being loved,’ Jason told the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Office for Youth. Continue reading →

The Board of Catholic Church Insurance (CCI) has appointed Mr Rob Scenna to take over the position of Chief Executive Officer from Peter Rush who is retiring.

Chairman of the board, Paul Gallagher, made the announcement yesterday evening, 17 August 2015, following a CCI board meeting.

Rob will take up his appointment on 21 September 2015.

From 2001 until 2014, Rob worked in management roles with the ANZ Banking Group, most recently as Managing Director of ANZ Trustees until that business was sold in 2014. Since then, he has been in a private consulting practice. Continue reading →

Pope Francis has a message of challenge and hope for both the Church and the world whether it be addressing pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, meeting presidents and prime ministers when visiting their nation, or washing the feet of prisoners or the disabled on Holy Thursday.

A number of events in Melbourne in September will help people understand this message more deeply and discern what action it calls forth from people of goodwill.

Sponsored by Australian Catholic University, the events will include a Youth Forum (Wednesday 16^th September), a Conference (Thursday 17^th and Friday 18^th) and an evening public forum (Thursday 17^th). People of all faith traditions (and none) are invited to attend. Continue reading →

The thirteenth annual meeting of the Catholic Diocesan Archivists of Australia (CDAA) was recently held in Sydney, hosted by the Archdiocese of Sydney.

The theme for this year’s meeting was ‘Canon Law and Archives’ and the group participated in workshops focusing on Canon Law requirements. They also visited the recently opened Sydney Archdiocesan Archives as part of their two day meeting.

Bishop Terry Brady, Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, attended this year’s conference.   Continue reading →

Identifying ways that Indigenous spirituality and the Catholic faith compliment each other became the central theme at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) National Assembly last month.

‘Liturgical inculturation’ was the topic of conversation amongst the 300 delegates from urban and rural Aboriginal communities across Australia.

Centring on the theme, ‘The heart of Jesus beats within us all’, the assembly took place from 2–6 July 2015 at Kormilda College in Darwin.

Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann (AM), Charlie King (OAM), Thelma Parker and Vicki Clark were among the keynote speakers. Miriam has dedicated her life to developing Aboriginal education and art.

Continue reading →

Bishops Peter Stasiuk CSsr

This month two Australian bishops will join Ukrainian Catholic bishops from around the world at their annual Synod.

Bishops Peter Stasiuk CSsr and Terence Curtin will participate in a Synod to be held in the Ukrainian regional city of Ivano-Frankivsk.

Bishop Stasiuk leads the Ukrainian Church in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania as spiritual leader of the Eparchy of Saint Peter and Paul.

‘The Synod is concentrating on Vision 2020, what our church will look like in 2020. A week before the Synod, 300 delegates from Ukrainian Eparchies around the world will gather to discuss the challenges of parish pastoral care,’ Bishop Stasiuk said. Continue reading →

The first comprehensive response of its kind to Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment was released in hard copy and online on Tuesday 4 August 2015.

Comprising authors from various backgrounds and sectors, The Francis Effect II: Praised Be You – On Care for our Common Home has been developed by three Catholic agencies in response to Pope Francis’ groundbreaking Laudato Si’, which was released in June this year.

Already over 500 pre-orders have been received for The Francis Effect II, which was developed collaboratively by Catholic Religious Australia, Catholic Earthcare Australia and Catholic Mission. It aims to inform Catholic leaders on the latest teachings of the Church.

Continue reading →

On Thursday 30 July 2015, representatives from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) visited the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) General Secretariat for a series of meetings and a cultural awareness experience.

Craig Arthur, National Administrator of NATSICC, John Lochowiak, Deputy Chair of NATSICC, and Sally Fitzgerald, Aboriginal Catholic Ministry for the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn, met with Patricia Mowbray, Executive Secretary of the ACBC Bishops Commission for Relations with Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.

Attending morning tea with the ACBC Secretariat staff, NATSICC representative John Lochowiak paid respect to the Ngunnawal peoples by acknowledging country and providing a short session about cultural awareness and aboriginal spirituality.

John also described the different names associated with distinct aboriginal communities in various parts of our Australian land. ACBC Secretariat staff had the opportunity to ask questions, discuss traditions and aspects of aboriginal spirituality.

One staff member described the occasion as ‘a wonderful educational and spiritual experience’.